Mark Gibbs <[email protected]> wrote:
> Gibbs didn't say anything about the Wright Brothers ... that was Ed Storms: > Wrong person! Ed was speaking loosely. The point is, it wasn't a theory, it was data. They had tables of lift and drag for different airfoils, with different chambers, at various different angles of attack. This was measured data, not based on any physics theory. They used the tables to design the wings, propeller and other components. It is a shame cold fusion does not have only one major control parameter, similar to lift. If it did, we could make a table of that parameter and use it to control the reaction. McKubre has identified the major control parameters for bulk Pd, and his equation does predict performance, but he cannot control these controls as easily as the Wrights could. For example, the way they could shape a wing chamber. McKubre knows that loading must reach a certain level. He knows how to load Pd. But loading is a complicated process which is not well understood, and it is difficult to control, so even though McKubre is an expert he cannot ensure loading will be high, or that it will not suddenly de-load. It is as if the Wrights knew what the wing chamber should be, but the chamber was dynamic and it kept changing for unknown reasons. Actually their wing chambers did change slightly because the wings were made of wood and fabric, and they tended to flatten out more than a modern wing. Imagine the wings suddenly went flat or flipped over the other way and you will get a sense of what McKubre is up against. - Jed
